No two Americans agree what ingredients should be in chili, but most people in Jackson know it is nature’s perfect food.

Twenty-five years of journalistic experience as the leading glutton of Jackson gives this reporter intimate knowledge of the local chili scene.

Where is the best chili sold in Jackson? It is impossible to say because all chili is great in its own way. OK, that was a bald-faced lie. Chili is often mediocre and some is downright nasty.

To mark the return of the Chili Cook-Off, today we honor Jackson chili excellence served consistently over a prolonged period. Today, we create the Jackson Chili Hall of Fame (don’t look for an actual museum because this lousy article is it).

Drum roll, please.

For chili like my mom made — translation: not what I call spicy — the Hall of Fame inducts Kuhl’s Deli, 117 Louis Glick Highway. It’s thick, filling and practically diet food compared to a greasy burger and fries. The Kuhl family dishes up chili every day all year, and over time, Jackson must have bought enough to fill the Nixon Park pool.

For spicy chili with beans, the Hall of Fame inducts Tracy’s Tavern, 403 Cooper St. Mike, the owner, serves it only on Thursdays, or “Chili Day” to regulars. The amount of hot peppers seems to vary each week depending on Mike’s supply or mood. This means the chili can range from “hot” one week to “spoon-meltingly wicked” the next.

For spicy chili with no beans, the Hall of Fame inducts Ted’s Firehouse Pub, at 809 Greenwood Ave. and a second site inside the Commonwealth Commerce Center. Spicy, yes, but I accuse Ted of turning down the heat on a previous recipe so fiery it made grown men cry. Ted denies the charge. “You burned out your taste buds,” he says.

If taste buds must die, they could choose no better way to go.

Welcome back, Chili Cook-Off. Jackson was sadder and less bloated without you.